An innovative service aims to put homes at the heart of transforming the life chances of families and children ‘shackled’ by poverty Renfrewshire.

Funded by £243,284 from the STV Children’s Appeal, Foundations First is run by Shelter Scotland in partnership with Renfrewshire Council, and offers housing and emotional support, advice and advocacy, parenting support and help with resettlement to families escaping poverty.

In Renfrewshire it is estimated that 13 per cent of children live in poverty before housing costs are considered. This rises to 21 per cent after housing costs are taken into account.

According to Shelter Scotland, a safe, secure and affordable home should be the first foundation in the journey out of poverty, yet for many the lack of a stable home and periods of homelessness is hindering their ability to build relationships with schools and health services and find employment opportunities.

The charity says that Foundations First will help pave the way for hundreds of families towards settled accommodation, followed by a route out of poverty and the capacity for children within those households to realise their full potential.

The service will assist families to improve, keep or find a home and aims to ensure universal access, from those who are tenants of the council, housing associations, living with family or friends, private sector tenants or owner-occupiers. Enabling service users to shape the delivery and development of the service will be integral to the day-to-day running of the project.

Alison Watson, deputy director of Shelter Scotland, said: “It is a mark of shame that one in five of Scotland’s children and their families are shackled by poverty. As we see all too often, the human tragedy of poverty affects all aspects of family life. From the daily struggle to put food on the table to providing warm clothing and even finding breathing space to enjoy family life, it can be all-consuming.

“In particular the effects on children should not be underestimated with poverty undermining the health, wellbeing and educational attainment of over 7,000 children in Renfrewshire alone.

“Foundations First will make a real difference by building resilience and improving their housing situation to create the foundation in which families can thrive.

“A safe, secure and affordable home provides a springboard for families, especially children, to fulfil their potential. Building on our expertise in supporting families, as well as our specialist housing and money and debt advice services, we look forward to working with families, their communities and our partners to find lasting solutions and break the poverty cycle for people in Renfrewshire.”

It is estimated that Renfrewshire is home to almost 7,000 children who live in poverty. 30 per cent of children living in poverty in Renfrewshire are in Paisley North West.

In Renfrewshire, families with children are the biggest group to live in poverty. 37 per cent of couples with children live in poverty, alongside 16 per cent of single parents.

Councillor Mike Holmes, depute leader of Renfrewshire Council, said: “The Renfrewshire Tackling Poverty Commission told us that we need to test new approaches to respond to the changing housing landscape. I’m proud that Renfrewshire Council is now working with Shelter Scotland to bring a new approach to housing support that offers an immediate safety net to those living in hardship with a focus on building longer term resilience to alleviate poverty.

“Foundations First is a unique service that will offer support to families living in council, housing association, and privately rented homes across Renfrewshire on a wide range of housing-related issues as we continue on our journey to tackle poverty.”

A family is considered in ‘relative poverty’ if they live in a household where the income is less than 60 per cent of the national median income.

Foundations First was designed in close consultation with Renfrewshire Council. The project allows service users to have ownership of their journey out of poverty by enabling them to shape the services delivered to them. Volunteering roles and links to opportunities in the community will also be provided.

Shelter Scotland has also invested in a dedicated policy officer who is embedded within the Foundations First team to ensure that that the work of service informs and facilitates sustainable improvements in local and national policy and practice.

Across Scotland more than one in five (210,000) of children are officially recognised as living in poverty, a level significantly higher than in many other European countries. In 2013/14 the proportion of children in Scotland experiencing poverty remained at 22 per cent, after increasing from 19 per cent in 2011/12.

Rob Woodward, STV CEO and trustee of the STV Children’s Appeal, said: “Each year the STV Children’s Appeal supports projects across the country that help improve the lives of some of Scotland’s most vulnerable children. We have invested £243,284 to help Shelter Scotland and Renfrewshire Council assist in breaking the cycle of homelessness and chronic poverty for marginalised families in Renfrewshire through the new Foundations First initiative.

“We hope this investment will help make a difference to the lives of the children and young people living in these circumstances.”

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